Dental anomalies of number shape and position are frequently analysed in the orthodontic and
clinical literature but are rarely discussed in an anthropological or archaeological context.
Dental anomalies and occlusal disorders are often hypothesised to be the result of a modern
urbanised lifestyle as a response to reduced masticatory stress and subsequent crowding of the
dentition. This study of skulls from Classical to medieaval Macedonia and England examines the
relationship between craniofacial variation and the expression of dental anomalies. Standard
craniometric measurements were taken to estimate relative sizes of cranial functional complexes
and determine whether or not or to what extent changes in the shape or size of these
variables were associated with the expression of dental anomalies. Statistical analyses
determined that the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between craniometrics and
dental anomalies can be rejected. A number of dental anomalies were found to have a
relationship with reduced sizes in cranial and masticatory elements although dental crowding
was not as significant a factor in masticatory complex reduction. A cause and effect
relationship cannot be determined but the data presented here suggests that both heredity and
environmental causes may be influential in the expression of dental anomalies.
